So far, Harlow's #watermelondress was on both Inside Edition and Kelly and Ryan Live. Mazzy was like, "Wait! What about MY watermelon dress???" She's right. The pink fringe cap sleeve is an excellent addition. Still think #babymeloning is the better hashtag!

Everybody is smiling and looking at camera! I just posted my latest travel vlog which follows our three day road trip in Central New York! It rained a lot but we still had tons of fun. Don't miss Harlow dancing like a robot and Mazzy talking "duck." I think this is my favorite travel video so far. YouTube link in bio!

She's getting her hair cut today. I was going to leave work and meet her and our sitter there but I'm too swamped. It's the first time she's getting a cut without me. Fingers crossed they don't chop it all off or give her faux hawk!

If you don't already know, "a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios with milk" has replaced Harlow's waffle obsession. She asks for it every single morning, in those words exactly. If I were to say, "Harlow, do you want a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios?" She would say, "Yes, WITH MILK." Also, ever since Harlow and I made that video about how to make cereal (link in bio- FYI, the longer YouTube version is even better than the one I put on Insta), Harlow has been really into making her own breakfast in the morning. Her and Mazzy have even taken our cereal orders at night and then pre-set the table with our names written on the napkins. Then they instruct us to stay in bed until everything is ready. It's actually some of the few times we've been able to sit down to breakfast all together as a family at the dining room table. Thanks @cheerios for helping make the mornings easier this summer! #generalmillscereal #sponsored

5 Things My Dentist Can Learn from My Toddler’s Dentist

I took Mazzy to the dentist for the first time last week. She was super excited which was mainly my fault. I kept saying things like, "Yay! Today we are going to the dentist!"

Actually, let me backtrack. This was the second time I took her to the dentist— the first time there was some sort of location snafu (apparently, I made an appointment at the East Village location on a day when my traveling pediatric dentist is in Brooklyn) which resulted in Mazzy crying at the foot of the locked dentist's door screaming, "But I WANT to go to the DENTIST!!!!"

"No, you do not, Mazzy. No you do not," I said to quietly to myself.

There are few things I hate more than the dentist. (Maybe vegemite? Or shark attacks?) Every time I go, I convince myself that it is not as bad as I remember and then while I am sitting in the chair, all I can think is, "IT IS!!! IT'S JUST AS BAD AS I REMEMBER!!! IT'S EVEN WORSE THAN I REMEMBER!!! IF THIS ISN'T OVER IN FIVE MINUTES, I MAY HAVE TO RIP THE BIB OFF, APOLOGIZE AND GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!!!!!!"

Mazzy's excitement leading up to her first dentist appointment made me feel sad for her. She clearly had no idea what was going to happen there. I braced myself and prepared for the worst.

But through some miracle of pedatric dentistry, the worst never happened…

I had envisioned them strapping my flailing and screaming daughter down to the chair so the dentist could do his dirty work, but instead Mazzy acted like a total angel. She sat in the seat patiently, she opened her mouth when told, and she even stayed put while both me and the hygenist left her by herself to take x-rays. (I couldn't stay in there because of the whole pregnancy thing.)

Mazzy (if you can believe it) left smiling and bragging about her clean teeth. The whole experience was rather unsettling because it left me thinking— What the hell is MY dentist doing wrong???

5 THINGS MY DENTIST COULD LEARN FROM MAZZY'S DENTIST:

1. Give me something good to do in the waiting room.

In the waiting room of Mazzy's dentist, there was a wall of toys, books, stuffed animals, blocks, a blow-up Spiderman and a flatscreen TV playing 'Madagascar'. At my dentist, there is a Reader's Digest from February 2009.

Likewise, for the view from the dentist chair. Mazzy's chair faced a shelf lined with vintage toys. At my dentist, I have to look at a plain white wall. Might I suggest something similar to the "accesories wall" on Project Runway?

2. Play a movie on the ceiling.

The best part of Mazzy's trip to the dentist (and the reason straps were not needed to hold her in the chair) was the flatscreen playing Happy Feet right above her on the ceiling.

If Happy Feet played on the ceiling of MY dentist, maybe I wouldn't mind sitting still either. Better yet, how about a Ryan Gosling movie? Or episodes of True Blood? I bet it's really hard to concentrate on gum sensitivity while watching hot incestual vampire sex.

3. Do away with the drill.

As far as I could tell, the only tools used on Mazzy were that spinning brush with the paste on it and a water pick. There was no pointy hook thing and no drill. I know I have done considerably more damage to my teeth at this point in my life, but maybe I'd visit the dentist more often if we narrowed down the power tool pool. Then wouldn't all potential tooth decay cancel itself out?

4. Assume I don't floss.

The dentist didn't ask Mazzy if she flossed— of course, she doesn't floss! He just told me that we should think about starting. No lectures about gum disease whatsoever.

5. Hand out an awesome parting gift.

The only thing I've ever left the dentist office with is a new toothbrush. Mazzy left her dentist with one of her favorite things on earth. That's right— a BALLOON. She even got to pick the color. Pink, of course.

I believe the equivalent to a balloon in my world is jewelry. What kind, you ask? Diamond earrings would be lovely, thank you.

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Have you taken your kid to the dentist yet? Was it better or worse than you expected?

We don’t have dental insurance so they only go once a year, but my kids (4 & 6) BEG to go to the dentist all the time. Their dentist has a train that runs around the entire office and a treehouse full of cheap plastic toys to choose from. Also a balloon artist.
That is also why their dentist charges $300 for a cleaning and xrays.
But my dentist highly recommends that I send my children to a pediatric dentist. Not that he doesn’t want our money, but he says his adult patients who grew up going to a pediatric dentist are much less fearful and easier to deal with 🙂

Wow! You have a cute daughter. She looks very pretty and smart because of her beautiful smile. My kids are regularly see their dentists and I love the results. They have great teeth! Thanks for sharing!

Kid’s dentists are amazing. I remember the one I went to when I was a kid had a pac-man arcade game in his waiting room. It was amazing.
I wonder if I get my wife to vouch for how childish I am if I could get one of these dentists to take me on as a patient.

took my son to the denist in the spring, it went great, surprisingly, as there was a screaming (and I mean SCREAMING and CRYING) little girl in the room across from his. I seriously thought that he was going to start crying and freak out (what are they doing to her?!). but he seemed okay, not sure about the little girl though….it wasn’t you was it? 🙂

I took our four year old for the first time last week (I know.. I’m late). I pulled up a video of going to the dentist right before we went (like a pediatric one.. not a scary adult one with a drill) and he was so excited. We got there and it did not disappoint. The waiting area had train tables, video games, an aquarium, and, my favorite part: current magazines for the parents. I was already sold. Then, we went into the actual cleaning and they were great with him! They showed him the tools first, THEN did the work, which I think made a huge difference. He was great the whole time and like your daughter, could not have been more proud of his teeth. I was expecting him to act like me when I go to the dentist.. totally and utterly horrified. When they were finished, they gave him a goody bag with teeth related stuff, asked him what color balloon he wanted, then had him choose a plastic toy from the swag boxes. All in all, a great first dentist experience. I think adult dentists should follow suit with the awesomeness.

We’ve scheduled a “ride along” for my almost 3 yr old. She will go with me and her big sister to the dentist, watch them clean our teeth (we’ll both be at the same time, and they’ll let her run back and forth between our two rooms – they make it a really big deal, explaining things as they go, and having her cheer us on), and then she gets to ride on the big chair herself. They’ll just take a peek in her mouth, and then stickers and plastic toys for all! (well, not me. I get a toothbrush and more guilt-trip floss)

Lil’ Bit will see my dentist, who doesn’t start seeing kids until age 3. So, she has her first official appointment at my next appointment in February.
I never really minded the dentist until I broke my two front teeth in college one week before graduation during a drunken piggyback ride gone bad. Multiple abscesses, root canals, oral surgeries, crowns, broken crowns, tooth extractions, and ultimately a bridge ensued. Now I don’t so much like the dentist anymore.
But I’m going to remain positive about Lil’ Bit’s first trip to the dentist for Lil’ Bit’s sake. I figure it’s like Santa Claus. Most 2-year-olds are terrified of Santa Claus, right? But last Christmas, we spent six straight weeks building him up as, like, the greatest thing ever. And so when we finally took Lil’ Bit to see him? Instead of running away screaming in terror, she literally leaped into his lap.
I’m going to aim for the same results with the dentists’ chair.

I remember feeling the way you did before you took Mazzy to the dentist the first time. My son has a really light gag reflex so I didn’t think it would go well. He went back with Dad as I waited in the waiting room with his sister while she played with the toys, train table and watched a kiddy movie. They were back out in what seemed like less than 10 minutes. Zak smiling ear to ear and clutching his 2 toys from the treasure box that he got to choose. Fast forward 2 years and Mom has to take him and the hygenists do not do well with him because of the gag reflex and most times the dentist has to do all the work. He hates it while he is there, but still doesn’t seem to dread it as much as I do (there was a period of my life were I didn’t go for close to 6 years!). I think it is because he gets to watch a video and get toys when he gets out. I totally agree that staring at those popcorn ceiling tiles gets really tiring as they are deep cleaning your teeth! We have been trying to find a good dentist for hubby and I that isn’t 2 hours away.

Our pediatric dentist has an arcade and a mechanical horse the kids can ride! They also get to pick a cool toy from a toy box on the way out. With all the toys, games, tv screens and noise, its like a Vegas casino in there!

I must say I’m suprised. I took my 2 year old to the dentist a while back. I was very afaraid for her and for the dentist really. She did great, yes they had all the cool stuff, not as much as Mazzy’s dentist but we live in the Northwest not in NY. The reason I say I’m suprised is b/c THEY DIDNT DO ANYTHING. Well OK they did LOOK at her teeth, brushed them and painted on floride with a little tiny paint brush, but NO X-RAYS or ANYTHING like what Mazzy got. Hmmm, makes me wonder if I should choose a differnt dentist.

As a slight tangent, I took Ella to an ophthalmologist last week – her pediatrician recommended we do it this year. He was an old guy with a heavy Brooklyn accent. They had toys in the waiting room and instead of letters, the eye chart was symbols – a cake, a dog, etc. However, the dude tells Ella that her optic nerve is “sexy” which made me seriously question the pediatric designation!

When my son was 5 he asked the dentist if he could give him shark teeth. I’m pretty sure the dentist thought I’d been letting him watch Taboo or something because he looked at me disdainfully and said, “NO. We don’t do THAT here.” I was like geez, dude, he just watched Sharkboy & LavaGirl, it’s not like he’s a fetishist or something. Chill.
We have since moved and have a fabulous dentist…I love going because they gush about what a perfect angel and wonderful patient my kid is. It’s great for the ego!

I took our two year old son just this Friday! I was super terrified, since the only way we can brush his teeth is by employing what we call “Tickle Teeth”. Daddy holds him down and tickles his belly until he opens his mouth in laughter, and I brush as fast as I can before he realizes the betrayal and begins to cry. He was a totally different kid at the dentist! Sounds a lot like yours – they had a train table, an entire vintage kid-sized kitchen, giant stuffed zoo animals, and Thomas on a flat screen above his chair. He opened his mouth willingly for both the hygienist and the dentist. They brushed and examined without any drama… it was amazing. I asked for tips on how to brush his teeth though, and they had no advice other than to turn on Thomas.

I don’t think there’s much to x ray at that point. We’ve been going for 2 yrs with my oldest and they just did his first set of x rays. I was terrified of our first visit too, as my oldest doesn’t do new things well. He was awesome. They walked him through the whole clinic before they tried anything and explained what he could expect, etc. The waiting room isn’t all that great at ours either, but the hygienists and dentists are fabulous. He loves going.

I want a blow-up Spiderman and a balloon! And a movie ON THE CEILING! Awesome!
My 3 yr. old (who’s autistic) has been to the dentist exactly once and it was…challenging. He was sweet and quiet, but he would NOT open his mouth. It would have taken the jaws of life to get that thing open. The dentist tried all his pediatric dentisty tricks and finally said we’ll try again next year. At least he didn’t bite the dentist like he bites me when I try to brush his teeth…

i hate going to the dentist. until i went to my latest dentist and i told him i hated him (not in particular, but his profession) and i told him why (i had plenty of cavities as a child, but no pain relief until i was 16). i explained that it’s difficult to undergone even a cleaning. this dentist offers to novacaine my entire mouth, but so far the topical anesthetic they offer is enough. ask about it! and wear headphones. you can get into your zen-ish spot. it will be much more pleasant.

Dude. My kid comes home from the dentist with a swag bag that rivals pretty much every birthday party she’s ever been to COMBINED. AND a balloon. She comes into the house and pours out a mountain of temporary tattoos, stickers, bouncy balls, bracelets and rings, tops and rubber lizards and hair clips and lip gloss. It’s ridiculous. And not a box of floss in sight.

I really thought it was going to be a nightmare but Mazzy was so curious about what was going to happen that she didn’t move.
We didn’t do any of the prep that other people are talking about in the comments. I just told her that the dentist was going to look at her teeth to see if she was doing a good job brushing.

This would not work for me at all! I hate the dentist so much that I squeeze my eyes shut and make wincing faces the whole time, coupled with actual groans at some points.
Mazzy would take one look at me and swear to never ever voluntarily sit in that chair!

I didn’t prepare Mazzy for the dentist at all. I just told her the dentist was going to look at her teeth to make sure she was doing a good job brushing. I made it out like it was something exciting and she bought it.
Sorry to hear about your front teeth- that sounds like a nightmare!

I think I may have to investigate a new dentist too. My mom went to one once where they gave her this big goggle headphone contraption that played TV inside. That sounds awesome.
Hope your kid starts to fare better!

Mazzy always insists on brushing her own teeth and does a horrible job. Although we did have a brief period where she let me do it, so at least she knows about getting the molars and whatnot. We actually just bought a Hello Kitty toothbrush with a light-up timer on it that seems to working. It goes for a minute so Mazzy makes sure to keep it in that long.

I TOTALLY hear what you’re saying. I, too, hate the dentist. In fact, I have to get a wisdom tooth pulled in a few weeks and I’m dreading it like the plague. But perhaps if they’d play HGTV in the ceiling, it wouldn’t be so bad.
Great post!

My kids go to a normal, boring dentist who is really nice and they do not dislike going since they like the dentist as a person. More than anything kids need a dentist who is GOOD with kids. Guess I’m cheap because I’m just not willing to pay for all of the extra “fun” stuff. We never have to wait more than a few mins. at our dentists office anyway and he has toys, too. And they do get a cheap prize as well.
I honestly don’t get the everyone raving about the TVs. We went to a ped. office with my oldest once and they had a room with a whole bunch of chairs and a TV over each. The kids got to pick a movie, and he complained about not being able to hear his movie with every other kid there having another movie going plus the commotion, plus the people in his mouth etc. Maybe my boy is an exception though. It was just too much sitmulation for him and he got overwhelmed. That particular place was so focused on being fun fun fun as opposed to giving quality care. No, I’m not a mom who bans TV. My kids watch TV and movies alright.

We have the same Hello Kitty toothbrush! 🙂 My daughter’s first dentist appointment is this upcoming Tuesday. I just showed her the pictures of Mazzy, and she is still associating going to the dentist with having a loose tooth because of a book she read at preschool a couple of weeks ago, lol. For some reason, she is excited about having a loose tooth, but who knows when that is actually going to happen. She’s 5, and I didn’t lose my first tooth until I was 7. I think it’s totally awesome that Mazzy did so well at the dentist! I hope my daughter’s dentist is as much fun as Mazzy’s! 🙂

Sorry about that, correction. Kids got up and played in their bedroom and hubby didn’t know it. Finding out info about Little Miss Party on the laptop, letting him do bedtime routine.

My kiddos went to the dentist the other day, and it was a teensy bit of a disaster.

Brooke, 2 was a very good girl in the waiting area. She signed in, played with the Thomas the Tank Engine figurines. (Glad she didn’t put it in her mouth, recalled for lead paint today) She loved the Dora and Friends: Snowy Adventure book. I read it to her and she didn’t shout “Aden” (Again) when I finished it.

Joseph, 6 is my eldest, but was my middle child for behaviour in the waiting area. He played with toys, but I did have to remind him about using his inside voice.

Allie, 4 was my worst in the waiting area. She cried because I opened the diaper bag, and tossed out toys when they got bored of the waiting room’s toys. Brooke got Talking Big Bird, and happened to get two Shopkins that were attached to Big Bird. (Big Bird is sticky and needs to be washed.

Joseph and Brooke were awesome in the dentist room. Brooke watched Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse, and Joseph watched his favorite cartoon (Handy Manny)

Allie screamed even though Shopkins was on the T.V. She cried for the whole appointment.

Joseph and Brookie got balloons and lollipops. Allie was carried out screaming.

We’re on vacation! Not only are we starting off with excellent weather, we got a good shot taken by Mike on the very first night! Thanks, Daddy Shorts. 🙌🏻 First full day in paradise is on my story! #mommyshortsinmexico

There’s a new sculpture in Astor Place that broke my heart. It is called The Last Three. It’s 17 feet tall and represents the last three northern white rhinos on earth. Their names are Sudan, Nijan, and Fatu. Sudan is the last male. He is 45, which is the life expectancy for a rhino. His daughter is Nijan and his granddaughter is Fatu. Rhino horns are worth a ton of money so they are in constant threat of poachers. This public piece of art was created by artists Gillie and Marc with the hope of educating and inspiring others to care about the plight of the rhinos. It worked on me. Their aim is to collect 1 million goodbye messages on www.goodbyerhinos.org and put them towards a petition for approaching governments about eliminating the demand for rhino horns. Please like, comment and tag your friends to get this seen by as many people as possible and feel free to regram and share! 😥 #goodbyerhinos

New York is still freezing so instead of doing our usual ski trip in March, we decided to switch things up and go somewhere much warmer. Not sure when I’ll post on my feed, but you can follow along on my Instagram stories...🌴☀️🥝👙🦎⛱⛵️✈️🍹🤸‍♂️😎 #comingsoon

Sometimes I look at my Instagram account and think— man, this feed really needs some adults. Who is running this thing??? And because I know everyone is going to ask where @littlemissparty got her dress, I already asked. It’s vintage. She bought it when she was 19. Sucks for the rest of us! I got my shirt at Aritzia. Thanks for asking 🤣 Have you guys watched our Instagram lives together? I like doing it so much better with a friend! We are on a two week break because our schedules are all crazy but will do it again after that. What would you guys want us to talk about? Any questions for two NYC working moms???

Harlow has a very important message for everyone. Brought to you by Super Why, I think. Also, this impromptu performance was 100% because Harlow noticed me upping my intake of fruits and vegetables this week. 🍎🍌🥕💪🏻 #harlowunplugged #eathealthy